Tire-forming material



Sept. 10, 1929. H. l. MORRIS TIRE FORMING MATERIAL original Filed Deo. 31; 1920 mizalmimmlzm Patented Sept. 10, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD I. lvIORB/IS, F CLEVELAND, OHO, ASSGNOR ".O THE CORD TRE MACHINE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF ARZONA.

TIRE-FORMING MATERIAL.

Original application filed December 31, 1920, Serial No. 434,244. Divided and this application filed February 17, 1923.

This invention relates to tire carcasses, more particularly to the material for making them..

This application is a division of my application filed December 3l, 1920, Serial No.

One object of the invention is to produce tire forming material that is relatively strong and durable and easily applied to a core for io making tire carcasses.

Another object of the invention is to produce tire forming material in which those portions thereof that form the bead and side walls of the tire carcass are reinforced to in- ]5 sure strength and durability.

Another object of the invention is to provide a corded tire forming material in which all the .materials entering thereinto are uniformly secured together and consolidated to 520 prevent distortion of the cords and insure proper structural characteristics in the tire carcass and durability in the use thereof.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention relates from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

For the purpose of illustration, have, in the accompanying drawings shown and here- .:0 in described one form of apparatus embodying my invention.

ln the drawings, Fig. l is a fragmentary plan view of a machine for making tire forming material embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section, enlarged, on the line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a section, enlarged, on the line of Fig. 1.

. Fig. 4 is a section, enlarged, on the line 4 4 of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the tire forming material on the line 5-5 of Fig. l, showing the bead material and the ller as these elements are disposed after the tire forming material has been completed.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a tire carcass showing the disposition of the bead material and the filler therearound after the tire forming material has been appliedrto a core and the carcass completed.

Serial No. 619,685.

parallel spaced relation and other elements are wrapped helically therearound, yOf this machine, a portion of which is shown in Fig. l, 11 indicates a support preferably mounted in a plane cutting the axis of the shuttle not shown) which helically wraps or winds certain. of the elements around ,the spaced elements. The opposite side edges of the support serve as a spacer and guide for a pair of bead materials c, a, and also as a former for certain of the other elements which constitute the tire forming material indi? cated at Z), as these elements are associated and correlated with eachother ready for consolidation or fabrication. The bead materials a, a, preferably comprise wire strands, supplied from suitable reels. rThe beads a, a, are fed to and along the opposite ylongitudinal side edges of the former 1l which support the beads a, c, as the various elements of the tire forming material are being assembled.

c, c, indicates further bead material, preferablyv comprising strips of relatively hard rubber, hereinafter' referred to as iillers, all

suppiied from suitably mounted reels and` guided by suitable guides 26 in operative relation to they beads a, a. In the completed web or tire forming material Z), the fillers surround the strands a and extend inwardly therefrom between the plies or folded por-` tions of the material and thus strengthen the beads and reinforce the side walls of the tire carcass adjacent to the beads, thereby tendmg to prevent rim cutting when the tire is in use. c The fillers c, c, are fed along with the bead strands a, a, in juxtaposition thereto, one strip above one strand and the other strip below the other strand, for reasons which will later be set forth.

26 indicates a pair of guides for the fillers c, c. rlhe guides 26 may comprise channel members, whereby their side walls may serve to guide the fillers o in alignment with the beads a. The guide for the filler 0 which is disposed above one of the bead strands a, is supported on and fixed to the upper snrface of the former il; whereas the guide 26 for that filler c that is disposed below the other bead strand L is provided along its inner longitudinal side wall with a flange 26a, which engages wien and is secured to the under side of the former ll to support the guide 2G in correlation with the adjacent bead strand fr. VAs shown in Figs. l and 2, t-he guides :26 are arranged to su )port and guide the fillers c relative to the bead strands d so that a portion of each filler, preferably approximately one-half thereof, will be disposed at or extend to either side of the adjacent bead strand 2. is the fillers c leave the free ends of the guides 28 for assembly with the bead strands d that portion of each filler c, which extends beyond the adjacent bead strand a is folded over or around the strand and back against the opposite face of the former ll by cords CZ (which constitute an integral portion of the tire forming niaterial as will be later set forth) as shown at c in Figs. l and 4, in position to be pressed against and united with that portion of the i'iller which extends inwardly from the bead, as will be later dcscribet. To permit of this folding operation, the guides 26 terminate slightly rearward of the point where folding over of the fillers c commences (see Fig. l).

lIhe cords (Z are fed to the former l1 in a group or groups in parallel relationship, side by side, preferably in contact with each other and fixed to one face of a strip of rubber e, being intimately pressed into the material of the strip, whereby there is formed a corded rnbberfwcb or ribbon, shown at e in Fig. 3, which provides a layer of rubber between adjacent sections of the cords (Z after the latter are wound and consolidated with the other materials. y

rI'he web or webs c are supplied to the former ll from opposite sides thereof in correlation with the bead strands c. and fillers c, whereby these elements may be j 'iroperly associated or assembled ready for consolidation. rl`he webs c each have a width approximately one-half that of the material l), and in revolving about the former ll, they engage first with ythe overlying portions of one filler c and then with the overlying portions of the other filler, successively, to fold these portions of the fillers around the strands and g inst the opposite surfaces of the former ll, as already set forth.

By using a corded rubber web or webs e" and delivering it or them to the strands o and fillers c from a shuttle, I am enabled to provide tire forming material in which all of the cords d are continuous and disposed at any angle to the plane of the tire when the material b is made into carcasses and in which the corded rubberk web is helically wound around the fillers as well as the bead material with the bead material embedded in the fillers.

WVhile I prefer to use a corded rubber web e, as shownin Figs. l and 8, I may use a web in which the cords (l are disposed between two strips of rubber ex, ex; as shown in Fig. 8.

63 indicates a mechanism for consolidating the variousv materials a, a, e and also a rubber strip f when desired, into a unitary web, such as shown at Z9. 'Ihe consolidating mechanism preferably comprises three superposed rollers 78, 79, 80, respectively, vbetween which the assembled and correlated materials, a, o, d, e, and f pass, preferably by two passes (see Fig. 9), to be consolidated into the tire forming material b 5 that is, the materials a, c, CZ, e and f pass between the rollers 78 and 79, then around the roller 79, then between the rollers 79 and 80, finally, by preference, passing around the roller 80 from which it leads to a device (not shown) on which the tire forming material is wound. It will be understood that as the materials a, c, CZ, c, and f pass through and between the rollers 78, 79 and 80, they are pressed together or consolidated into intimate relation or ay substantially integral unitary structure b, as shown in Fig. 5, the folded portions of the fillers c being consolidated into a single mass surrounding and enclosing or embedding the bead strands a, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 5. e

The rollers 78, 79 and 80 are preferably formed with annular, aligned grooves 7 9LL to receive the opposite edges of the correlated materials which are enlarged on account of the bead strands a and fillers c being disposed therein.

The rollers 78, 7 9, 80, are mounted at their yopposite ends in suitable journal boxes 72,

7 3, 74, and driven in a suitable manner.

Toinsure sufficient pressure between the rollers 78, 79 and 89, to effect consolidation of the materials a, c, (Z, e and f, I mount the journal boxes 72 and 74 for` the rollers 78 and 80, respectively, so that the latter can be moved or adjusted toward the roller 79. F or this purpose the frames 7() are provided with guides 7 OfL which slidablysupport the journal boxes 7 2, 7 4. 85 indicates as an entirety means for moving or adjusting the .rollers 78 and 80 toward the roller V79. These means preferably include a coiled spring a whereby the pressure is yieldingin character. The n'ioving and adjusting means 85 for each ournal box for the shaftsof the rollers 78 and 8() are similar in construction, hence I will refer to one such means only, as follows: 86

llo'

indicates a rod extending through and having screw-threaded engagement with the walls of an opening 87 formed in the end wall of the frame and arranged in the plane of the axes of the rollers 78, 79, 80. The outer end of the rod 86 carries a hand wheel 87, whereby it may be readily turned; its inner end is provided with a head or seat member 88 to engage the outer end of the spring CL interposed between it and the adjacent journal box (72 or 7 4). From the foregoing description it will be understood that by operating the wheels 87a, the rollers 78 and 8O may be yieldingly pressed against the roller 79 to cause desired degree of pressure upon the materials a, c, d, e and f to consolidate them into the tire forming material b.

rlhese materials may be passed through or between the rollers 7 8, 7 9, and then wound on the forming` device, but by preference, I pass the materials back through or between the rollers 7 9, 80, to prevent slippage of the materials relative to each other and to insure feeding of the materials at the same speed and a complete and more uniform consolidation into a unitary web of material.

The forming device may consist of a drum or reel on which the tire forming material may be wound, but by preference I use a tire carcass core and wind the material Z) thereon, causing it to rotate once for each ply of material which is to constitute the carcass.

ln operating;` the machine, the supply reels or spools for the materials a, c, d, e and are placed in position and the free ends of the materials positie-ned and correlated on the former ll with their free ends between the rollers 78, 79, 80, which being driven, will, on application of the power, draw the materials forwardly and unwind them from their spools. Due to the fact that the spools for the webs e revolve about the former il and feed the latter at an angle thereto, the cords d and webs e will be helically wound or wrapped around the former l1, spaced bead strands a and fillers c, and in such operation the webs e will. engage the fillers c and fold their overlying portions over and around the bead strands a. The former 11 terminates at a point in fro-nt of the position at which the webs c engage the bead strands a and fillers c, so that the correlated materials may pass directly to and between the consolidating rollers 78, 7 9, 80.

By my construction I am enabled to pro-A vide a continuous supply of each of the materials and to Conduct substantially all thereof to a position or station where they are arranged in proper correlated position for consolidation. As a result thereof, the machine operates to form into a unitary web of indefinite length all of the materials necessary for the making of a complete tire carcass. As the materials are all drawn forwardly at the same rate of speed and the cords d are wrapped continuously around f* the bead strands d, the resulting product is uniformly constructed and devoid of strains and stresses throughout its length; and further, as. the cords are in helical formation and compressed into a unitary structure without being; cut along` the line of fold l am enabled to provide a web of material. of inde finite length in which all of the cords are continuous from end to end thereof. Furthermore, as the cords surround the bead strands, the material can be effectively applied to the core without dan ger of the bea d strands becoming` detached from the body portion ofthe material.. As the material h constitutes and includes all of the materials necessary for a tire carcass, it can be rapidly and economically made into tire carcasses with all of the plies thereof uniformly applied.

lIt will further be noted t iat the former ll is of substantially rectangular shape in cross section and of a thickness approximately equal to the diameter of the bead strands a. As a result of such arrangement, the cords Z when wound therearoinnfl are in a llattenerfl helical formation with the bead strands adjacent to and within the folded portions of the cords; also, since the cords are wound around the bead strands, while the latterare held in spaced relationship by the former ll, the cords are uniformly applied to and relatively tight around the bead strands and against the oppositeflat faces of the former 1l, thus positioning the cords (l, well as the strip e, for consolidation devoid of wrinkles and unevenness to the end that a better and more uniform product results. r*lhe side edges of the unitary web are not cut or trimmed prior to or after the web is applied to the core. Thus all waste of material is eliminated; furthermore, this arrangement serves to form a bead lock for each bead strand, as welly as to provide bound edges for the web, eliminating all danger of the bead strands being displaced or blown out of the tirecarcass. .f

It will also be noted that the stripsI of bead material c are of a width to entend` around and embed the bead strands and inwardlya considerable distance from the bead strands. By this arrangement it will be seen that the strips serve as fillers to reinforce and strengthen those portions of the web Y) which form the side walls of the tire carcass, so that when the latter is in use, the fillers tend to prevent flexing of the side walls at points adjacent to the opposite side edges of the wheel rim and to that extent overcome or tend to overcome rim cutting. i

lWhere the web?) is made relatively naryrow,ffor instance in making the smaller sizes of tire carcasses, l may omit the bead strands a. ln such construction, the strips of bead material c, c, arefolded overlhe edges ofthe formerll by the cords al or web e and thin fil consolidated with the latter by the consolidating mechanism 63, as already described.

To those skilled in the art of making articles ot the class described, many alterations in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of my invention will suggest themselves, without departing from the spiritand scope thereof. My disclosures and the description herein are purely illustratire and are knot intended to be in any sense limiting.

What I claim is:

l. Corded tire forming material comprising spaced bead material, fillers in which the spaced bead material are embedded, anda corded rubber web helically wound around said bead material and illers, and consolidated therewith into a unitary structure for forming tire carcasses.

2. Corded tire forming material comprising spaced bead material, lillers in which the spaced bead material are embedded, and a corded rubber web helically wound around said bead material and iillers, said bead material, fillers and opposite portions oit the web being consolidated into a unitary structure for forming tire carcasses.

3. Corded tire forming material comprising spaced wire strands7 rubber fillers in which the spaced strands are embedded, and a corded rubber web helically wound around said strands and {illers and consolidated therewith into a unitary structure for torming tire carcasses.

4. Corded tire forming material comprising spaced bead material, fillers in which the spaced bead material are embedded, and a cordedy rubber web consisting or" a rubber `strip and a plurality of cords arranged side by side, extending longitudinally ot the strip and pressed into the material thereof to prevent spreading of the cords, said web being helically wound around said bead material and illers and consolidated therewith into a unitary structure for forming tire carcasses.

5. Corded tire forming material comprising spaced bead material, illers in which the spaced bead material are embedded, and a corded rubber web consisting ot a pair of rubber strips and a plurality of cords arranged between the strips, extending longitudinally thereof and pressed into the material ot the strips to prevent spreading of the cords, said web being helically wound around said bead material and fillers and consolidated therewith into a unitary structure for forming tire carcasses.

6. Corded tire forming material comprising spaced bead material, lillers in which the spaced bead material are embedded, and a corded rubber web consisting of a rubber strip and a plurality of cords arranged side by side and extending longitudinally of the strip, said web being helically wound around said spaced bead material and illers and consolidated therewith into a unitary structure for forming tire carcasses.

7. Tire forming material comprising spaced bead material, fillers in which the spaced bead material are embedded, and a web helically wound around said bead material and llers and consolidated therewith into a unitary structure adapted tor use in forming tire carcasses.

8. Tire forming material comprising spaced bead material, iillers in which the spaced bead material are embedded, and a rubber web helically Wound around said bead material and fillers and consolidated therewith into a unitary structure adapted i'or use in forming` tire carcasses.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto aiiixed my signature.

` HOWARD I. MORRIS. 

